Samsung ML-2525W – Good inexpensive black printer

Sum and Substance:

Thumbs Up:

Inexpensive, good quality in text and graphics documents, has USB Ethernet and wireless connectivity options, small footprint

Thumbs Down:

No auto duplexing, ships with just a starter toner ink tank.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Samsung ML-2525W is a laser printer which has a speed of 24 pages per minute. Maximum resolution is 1,200×1,200 dpi. It takes about nine seconds for the first print out. The printer has input capacity of 250 sheets for the tray and output capacity is 80 sheets. Media size options include Custom, Folio, Letter, JIS B5, ISO B5, A5, A6, A4, Executive, Oficio, and Legal.

Media type includes Plain, Bond, Pre-printed, Envelope, Label, Postcard, Thick, Colored, Archive, Cotton, Letterhead, Cardstock, Transparency, Recycled, Punched and Thin. The printer has 360 Mhz processor along with 64 MB memory. Supported OSes are Windows 7, 2008 server, 2003 server, Vista, XP, and 2000. Mac OS X 10.3 to 10.6 an Linux. Monthly duty cycle is of 12000 pages and the device weighs 7.3 kg.

Razzle Dazzle:

This is the hardest part to write about when it comes to printers – the looks. We don’t expect printers to look ‘sexy’. They usually come in boring designs but this printer too pretty much follows the suit. Samsung ML-2525W’s looks are pretty much similar to its predecessor, the Samsung ML-2851ND. But the latest device comes with the black flat finish and it is a textured check pattern which covers the paper tray. Samsung, it seems, has been working hard to cut down the weight of its printers because at 16.9 pounds, it is nine pounds lighter than its predecessor. This device is 14.2 inches wide, 7.8 inches tall and measures 15.3 inches in depth.

Inside Dope:

Samsung ML-2525W is a simple device which prints just black and nothing else. But it does come with a few goodies like double sided printing, wireless networking and single sheet tray. All these are a boon when it comes to small office or home printers. The cost of this printer is $150 and it is one of the most inexpensive printers we have ever had in our test centers. We will recommend you this device for it good print quality and dirt cheap price.
Samsung ML-2851ND’s top has a power button alogn with two LCDs which show network status and print activity. There are also two buttons located there, one to cancel the print job and the other for demo sheet print. The input tray goes in to the bottom of the printer and has a capacity to hold up to 250 paper sheets. There is also a 250 sheet drawer sold separately. The manual tray is located below the toner access handle through it, you can feed single paper sheets to the device.
There are various ways to connect the Samsung ML-2851ND to your PC. On the back, there is a standard USB 2.0 port, Ethernet port and 802.11 b/g for connecting the printer wirelessly. But for all three methods, you have to first set up the printer through USB and here, the device will start looking for wireless signals. Setting up the printer was easy, we were ready to go in just five minutes.

Once this is done, you’ll be able to access the function, paper size, toggle the auto duplexing and other such general settings using the screen. For advanced options, there is the driver menu. It is used to control toner darkness, security and network information and print resolution (maximum 1200 dpi). Installing the software will get you a tiny monitor on the taskbar but we were disappointed that it refused to show cartridge ink status.

Most complained about feature in a laser printer is the consumable price. To counter that, Samsung gives you an inexpensive $75 high capacity cartridge which is exposed to give 2,500 prints. But you should also note that the printer by default ships with “Starter Toner Cartridge” which churns just 1,000 prints. Be wary of this, or else the price of consumables might make a big hole in your pocket.

This printer might not be the best when it comes to performance but it will certainly impress you. You don’t get to see printers which churn out PowerPoint presentations, text and graphics at a similar speed. The Samsung ML-2851ND prints about twenty pages a minute which makes it on par with ML-2851ND.

Samsung ML-2525W quality pretty much met our expectations. The text appeared superb with even thickness and dark lines in large lettering and bold fonts. If you navigate through the driver, you will find options like “Print all text to darken” and “Print all text to black” and they live up to their names, making the lines darker and text even darker. The solid characters are enhanced for putting extra emphasis through out the page particularly on large black color blocks.

Graphics document print quality on the Samsung ML-2525W is better than its predecessors but this might matter much to your if you intend to use the printer in your office. The printer comes with one year warranty for labor and parts. On the manufacturer’s Website, you can find FAQs, how to guide, software downloads which include manuals, drivers and updates for firmware.

Nitty Gritty:

This is a down to earth printer which prints well and does nothing else. We will recommend you this printer for its good quality prints and inexpensive price tag.

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